Drier apparatus for loom drop wires



March 10, 1964 S. L. HUFFMAN ETAL DRIER APPARATUS FOR LOOM DROP WIRES Filed May 9', 1961 m mm III FIG 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 10, 1964 s. l.. HUFFMAN ETAL 3,124,431

DRIER APPARATUS RoR LooM nRoR WIRES Filed May 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS SAMUEL L. HUFFMAN RICHARD J. IRWIN BY l ATTOIRNEY 3,lZ4,/l3l Patented Mar. 1G, 1964 United States Patent Oice 3,l24,l31 DEER APPARATUS FUR LUM DRU? WIRES Samuel L. Hudman and Richard Zi. Irwin, Greenville, SJC.,

assignors to Carolina Plating @a Stamping Company, Greenville9 SC., a corporation of South Carolina Filed May 9, i961, Ser. No. 1%,897 1 Claim. (El. :M -131) This invention relates to drier apparatus for loom drop wires.

Loom drop wires are delicate sheet metal articles which must be manufactured to very close dimensional tolerances and carefully plated with copper or the like to a uniform bright iinish, in order to be satisfactory and to meet the rigid requirements of the textile mills. Each drop wire is about ve inches long and somewhat less than one-half inch wide and only about ten-thousandths of an inch Vin thickness. The` drop wires have one or more slots and openings formed therethrough between their ends, and the drop wires are flat and must not beand it is entirely impractical from an economic or production standpoint to dry them individually or even in small numbers.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide apparatus for the hot air drying of loom drop wires eiiiciently and rapidly and in mass quantities, without damaging the delicate drop wires in any manner.

Another important object of the invention is to provide means for drying drop wires which will not tangle, bend or otherwise abuse the drop wires in any way to adversely affect their utility. Y

Another object is to provide drier apparatus of the above-mentioned character which maintains the drop wires oriented longitudinally during the drying operation,

lto avoid tangling andV for ease of collecting and packaging ject them during drying Vto a tumbling action, whereby the r drop wires cannot mat together because of capillary attraction so as to cause discoloring, incomplete drying or the like. i Y

Still another object is to provide drier apparatus which is fully automatic and requires only that quantities of the drop wires be introduced into one end of the apparatus and removed from the opposite end in a fully dried, undamaged and oriented condition. A further object is to provide a drier of the abovementioned character which is simplified in construction, rugged and durable, relatively inexpensive to build and maintain and economical to operate. f

`Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

t FlGURE l is a side elevation of drier apparatus for` `loom drop wires according to the invention, partly in section,

` FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the drierapparatus, partly in section,

FlGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3 3 of FIGURE 1,

FlGURE 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line evtl. of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE l,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view ot a drier and tumbling cylinder,

`FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 7-7 of FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged perspective View of a loom drop wire.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment oi the invention, the numeral lil designates generally a casing or housing which is preferably entirely covered externally with any suitable heat insulating material. The casing lil is somewhat elevated from the floor and is supported upon a iixed framework 11 of any suitable type, as shown in the drawings. The casing 10 as Viewed'from the top in .FIGURE 2 is relatively `narrow and considerably elongated in the direction of travel of the drop wires through the apparatus during the drying operation. The casing 10 embodies an elongated relatively narrow horizontal portion or main drier chamber 12, which is preferably rectangular in cross section, FIGURES 3 and 5, with a considerably greater vertical height than lateral width. The elongated main drier chamber 12 has vertical side walls 13 and le and horizontal top and bottom walls 15 and 16, as shown. The external heat insulation for the entire casing l@ is indicated at 17. The drier chamber 12 also includes end walls 18 and 19.

Atop the drier chamber l2 yand extending for a major portion of its length above the top wall 15 is a longitudinally elongated cowling 20 forming a passage for hot air into the chamber 12 through slots 21 provided for this-purpose in the top wall 15. The upper wall of the cowling 2t) may be longitudinally rounded as shown in FIGURES l and 4. The opposite ends of the cowling 20 terminate somewhat inwardly of the end walls 18 and 19. The outer vertical side wall 22 of the cowling `26 is in vertical alignment with and in effect forms a continuation of the outer side wall 14 of chamber 12. The inner side wall 23 of cowling 2li is likewise in vertical alignment with the previously-described side wall 13, see FIGURES 3 and 5.

Directly below thev slots 21, bottom wall 16 of drier chamber 12 has outlet slots 24 which open directlyv into U-shaped hot air return ducts 25 which are rectangular in cross section. Rearwardly of the side wall 13, these y ducts 25 extend upwardly as at 26 to return the hot air through horizontal longitudinal passages or ducts 27 within the cowling 2li upon the rear side of the vertical wall 23 which divides the cowling 2li longitudinally above the wall 15 and above the main drier chamber 12.

At its longitudinal center, the cowling 2li has an elevated top wall portion 28, which is horizontal so as to form a platform for an electric motor 29 having a drive pulley 3l), operating a belt 31, which passes through a slot 32 in the top wall portion, FIGURE 3. A blower 33 is disposed beneath the top wall portion 23 and between the vertical'wall 23 and the extreme back wall 34 of the cowling 20. A horizontal longitudinal wall 3S supports the blower 33 fixedly, and this wall 35 extends longitudinally of the apparatus and connects with the tops of the inner vertical side Walls 36 of the return ducts 25, FIGURE 4.

The outlet nozzle 37 of the'` blower 33 faces laterally of the passages 27 and the upper horizontal passages 38 above the wall 15, FIGURE 1, and the blower discharges its air through an opening 39 in the vertical wall 23 a the longitudinal center of the latter. 1 i

The blower 33 has a drive pulley 4u connected with and driven by the belt 31, as shown. On opposite sides of the blower 33 and close to the same and beneath the top wall portion 28 is a pair of conventional electrical heating elements 41, suitably supported upon the horizontal Wall 35 and suitably electrically insulated from the casing structure. The heating elements 41 are energized from any suitable source of current through suitable wiring not shown for the purpose of simplification. The electrical heating elements 41 are disposed close to the conventional inlets to the blower 33 at the opposite vertical sides thereof. Hence, the air returning to opposite sides of the blower 33 through thepassages 27 must always pass over and through the heating elements 4l, see FIGURE 4.

As should now be apparent, when the heating elements 41 are energized and the blower 33 is in operation under influence of the motor 29, air is continuously discharged from'the blower nozzle 37 through the opening 39 and throughthe longitudinal horizontal passages 38 and the slots 21 and into the main drier chamber l2. From this chamber, the hot air discharges through the slots 24 and into the U-shaped ducts 25 and upwardly through the rear sides of these ducts at 26 into the horizontal return passages 27 which lead to the heating elements 41 and the inlets of the blower 33. Hence, hot air is continuously circulated into, through and out of the drier chamber I2 during the operation of the drier.

An elongated straight narrow diameter foraminous drier tube 42 of wire mesh or the like, and forming a very important element of the invention, extends longitudinally through the main drier chamber 12 as shown clearly in the drawings. This drier tube 42 is preferably cylindrical and has an inside diameter materially less than the overall length of a loom drop wire, one such .drop wire being shown at 43 in FIGURE 8 for purposes of illustration.

The inside diameter of the drier tube 42 may be of the order of three inches although this dimension may vary somewhat in practice. The purpose of the relatively small diameter drier tube is to maintain the large number of drop wires being dried and tumbled therein longitudinally oriented in the same direction throughout the length of the drier tube.

As shown in the drawings, the drier tube 42 is inclined slightly downwardly from its inlet end toward its discharge end for the purpose of allowing the drop wires to gravitate gradually through the entire length of the tube 42 during the drying process and while the drop wires are tumbling therein during rotation of the tube. The tube 42 is supported for free rotation upon a series of rollers 44, mounted upon suitable bracket arms 45 and upon the end walls 18 and I9, as shown. The extremities of the drier tube 42 extend through openings 46 in the end walls 18 and 19 and somewhat beyond these end walls for rotary connection with an inlet trough 47 and an outlet trough 48. The drop wires 43 are placed in mass quantities by the operator within the inlet trough 4'7 and are fed longitudinally into the inlet end of the drier tube 42 as the same rotates. The completely dried drop wires pass gradually and continuously into the outlet trough 48 under the influence of gravity and need merely be picked up from the trough 48 for packaging. As stated, the small diameter drier tube 42 maintains the drop wires longitudinally oriented in the required manner.

For tumbling the drop wires 43 continuously, without tangling the same, a plurality of circumferentially equidistantly spaced tumbling rods or elements 49 are xedly secured in any suitable manner to the bore of the foraminous drier tube 42. These rods may extend continuously throughout the length of the tube 42 or they may be in the form of rod segments with small spaces between them. If preferred, in lieu of the rods 49, radially disposed tumbler elements or pins may be suitably anchored to the bore of the drier tube for tumbling the drop wires. Also, if preferred, instead of forming the drier tube 42 cylindrically and providing the same with tumbler elements, the drier tube may be formed hexagonally in cross section or some other polygonal shape to provide the desired tumbling action, without the necessity for the elements 49. In any event, the drier tube is narrow with a lesser internal Width or diameter than the length of a drop wire, for the reason already explained.

Near its discharge end, the rotary drier tube 42 carries y a drive pulley 50, driven by a vertical belt 51, connected with a driving pulley 52 of a motor 53 rigidly mounted upon a bracket 54, in turn secured to the framework lll. The motor 53 may have built-in speed reducer means, if desired, to impart rotation to the tube 42 at the desired rate. The Vtube 42 revolves smoothly upon the bed afforded by the rollers 44 and under inlluence of the motor 53. Conventional means, not shown, may be employed to prevent the tube 42 from shifting endwise, or the engagement of the ends of the tube with the fixed troughs 47 and 48 may accomplish this purpose.

A pair of elongated battle plates 44 are disposed on opposite sides of the drier tube 42 and parallel therewith and extending for the full length thereof within the chamber I2. These baille plates are rigidly secured to the vertical walls t3 and 14 of the main drier chamber, and their longitudinal edges are very close to the periphery of the drier tube 42 but do not touch the latter. The bathe plates 44 block the downward ilow of hot air in the chamber 12 and cause all of the hot air to pass through the perforated drier tube for very effectively drying the worktherein. None of the hot air can escape circulating through the drier tube during its passage toward the outlet slots 24.

In operation, the drop wires are introduced in rather great numbers into the inlet end of the rotating tube 42, adjacent the trough 47. The motor 53 is in operation and the motor 29 operates to run the blower 33. The heating elements 4l are energized and hot air continuously circulates through ,and around the foraminous tube 42, throughout the entire length of the main elongated drier chamber 12. The blower 33 has a capacity sufficient to keep the chamber l2 full of circulating hot air at all times, and therefore, during the relatively slow passage of the drop wires through the long tube 42 they become thoroughly dried without staining or sticking together because of capillary attraction due to the continuous tumbling action aforded by the elements 49. It is impossible due to the small diameter of the tube 42 for the drop Wires to tumble end-over-end or to become bent, tangled, matted together or damaged in any manner. As stated, the drop wires will remain oriented in the longitudinal direction which they assumed when introduced into the tube 42, and great numbers of drop wires may be efliciently dried by the apparatus in -a continuous and automatic manner.

The apparatus is extremely simple and requires very little maintenance and it is rugged and durable. The apparatus is ideally suited and in fact particularly designed for the rapid and eiiicient drying of loom drop wires in the manner described without damaging or adversely affecting the delicate work elements in any manner.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

A drier apparatus for loom drop Wires comprising a main drier chamber which is horizontally elongated, rectangular in cross section and laterally narrow in comparison to its vertical height, said main drier chamber having substantially aligned inlet and outlet openings in the top and bottom walls thereof near and inwardly of its opposite ends, an elongated small diameter, cylindrical, foraminous, open-ended drier tube extending longitudinally through said main chamber and disposed centrally therein at a slight angle of inclination to the horizontal and disposed substantially midway between the top and bottom walls of said chamber, small diameter tumbler rod elements secured to the interior surface of said drier tube in circumferentially spaced relation and extending longitudinally of said tube, roller bed supporting means for said drier tube supporting the same, freely rotatably upon and within the main drier chamber, power means connected with said drier tube to rotate it upon its longitudinal axis, a pair of generally horizontal baffle plates in the main drier chamber on diametrically opposite sides of the drier tube and having inner edges disposed close to said tube and parallel thereto and substantially coextensive therewith lengthwise of said tube, an elongated cowling overlying said main drier chamber and being of the same width as the drier chamber and extending thereabove and extending continuously for the major portion of the length of the main drier chamber and having its end portions in direct communication with the main drier chamber through said inlet openings of the latter, said cowling having a side opening at the longitudinal center thereof, an upper horizontal duct adjacent one side of said Cowling and being substantially coextensive therewith lengthwise and horizontally and communicating with said cowling through said side opening, a blower Within said duct having an outlet nozzle close to and in alignment with said side opening and having a pair of inlets at the opposite sides of said blower near the longitudinal center of said duct and facing the opposite ends of said duct, power means on said duct connected with said blower to operate it, a pair of electrical heating elements within said duct in closely spaced relation to the inlets of said blower, and a pair of generally U-shaped ducts extending substantially vertically in underlying relation to the end portions of the upper horizontal duct and in open communication with such end portions and extending beneath end portions of the main drier chamber and having inlets in registration with the outlet openings ofthe drier chamber, whereby air from said blower circulates in opposite longitudinal directions through said cowling, into and through said main drier chamber and tube and then into said U-shaped and horizontal ducts and back to said pair of blower inlets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 804,607 King Nov. 14, 1905 849,581 Spencer Apr. 9, 1907 892,901 Schwartz July 7, 1908 1,004,346 Becker Sept. 26, 1911 1,303,209 King et al May 6, 1919 1,607,841 Nelson Nov. 23, 1926 1,720,537 Barthel et al. July 9, 1929 2,997,096 Morrison et al Aug. 22, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 849,551 France Nov. 27, 1939 

